“I think this is a good spot to pause your story,” Luna offered.

“Y-yes. Maybe we should take the remaining time to ask a few questions,” Twilight added.

I raised an eyebrow, holding back my response while I inspected my jailors a little closer. They both looked a bit green under the gills, with neither thrilled to hear my tale. Twilight was hit the worst, the mare muttering under her breath, with the only audible words being Shining. Luna wasn't much better off, though she looked more pensive, as well as slightly curious. If that spark in her eye was any indication, though I may have been misunderstanding it.

“So, questions?” I asked.

“Oh right,” Twilight coughed into her hoof and sat a little straighter. “To start, I was wondering if you may clarify a few things. Starting with what you mentioned about this ‘campaign’ you were a part of.”

“It was, at the time anyway, just a silly game of make-believe where you pretend to be adventurers,” I replied.

“Like your ogres and oubliettes game you kept asking me to join,” Luna added, eyes lighting up.

“Really? How curious,” Twilight murmured, only to shake her head. “Regardless, you said that the game’s title was ‘The Slaughter That Came to Esteria’?”

I nodded. “Yeah, that was the title he settled on. I would have gone with something a bit more grammatically correct, but hey.”

“Do you know the significance of the word Esteria?” Luna asked.

“Uh, it's a kind of cool name for a world?” I half asked half stated with a shrug of my shoulders.

“It is the name given to our planet by the kindred during the thousand-year summer,” Luna remarked in a low, reverent tone. “There are very few who know this word, and fewer still that would speak it frivolously.”

“Really? Celestia mentioned that there was an ancient empire but she’s never answered my questions. At least in a way that wasn't so vague that I couldn't make heads or tails of it,” Twilight murmured.

“Yes, that is Tia for you. But, getting back to our questions. This… dungeon master. What do you know of him?” Luna pressed.

“He was a hairless ape, like myself. He came up with the story, and was as proud as he was secretive about the whole thing,” I replied. “He barely told us anything, and promised that all the relevant info would come up naturally.”

“So he is not in fact some manner of god or extraplanar entity?” Luna asked.

I chuckled, only to pause and shrug. “I don't know anymore. I was transformed, so who’s to say he hasn't been as well.”

“Were there any other players?” Twilight asked, turning to Luna. “Usually there are about four other people outside of the dungeon master.”

“There was only one that I can remember,” I murmured, scratching my chin with a claw. “I can't recall if there was anyone else.”

“So there might be another like you here?” Luna inquired.

I shrugged. “Its possible, but I haven't heard or seen them. Though I also have barely ever left the Everfree.”

“Let's put that thought aside for now, and run through a few shorter questions. I feel like thats a bit of a dead end for now,” Twilight offered, glancing at Luna.

The other alicorn nodded.

“Right, so what do you remember of your previous life?” Twilight inquired.

“Not much,” I admitted, somewhat regretfully. “I sometimes get flashes, memories prompted by some stimuli that bring them to the fore but other than that… I was male, I was young, and was into roleplaying games.”

“You don't remember anything about the world you left behind?” Twilight asked, her voice containing a hint of desperation.

“It was more technologically advanced than yours, but specifics are beyond me,” I admitted. “All that's left was context stuff, basics. What is a claw, what is a train, concepts like democracy, or the existence of laws.”

“Subconscious learned patterns remain, but anything greater than that is removed. That does sound like the result of a blind jump to a different plane,” Twilight murmured.

“Either way you have my sympathy. To be ripped away from what you know so suddenly…” Luna began, her jaw tensing. “It is an unforgivable crime.”

“It's not all bad, though you ponies are intensely xenophobic, hateful, bigoted, and violent, not everyone is like you,” I remarked, my restraint slipping somewhat when my thoughts turned to Shining Butt Face.

“We are no-sort of are,” Twilight declared. “Wait. That's not what I meant to say.”

“The Equestria of today is not nearly as welcoming to outsiders as the one I knew,” Luna added. “The struggles and conflicts with their neighbors have hardened the hearts of this generation of ponies.”

“It's just…” Twilight grit her teeth and shook her head. “We are not like that, for the most part. You must understand that gnolls were considered non-sapient animals driven to slaughter any living creature at the behest of their demonic god.”

“Yet you people still believed that even after seeing clear and present evidence to the contrary. I think that's another point in the violent, xenophobic, and hate-filled category,” I retorted.

“I… we… augh,” Twilight snorted and fell back in her chair.

Luna cleared her throat. “Continuing where we left off. What do you know about this fictional version of our world that you mentioned earlier?”

“Just the broad strokes of your story and that it was a television show intended for young girls,” I answered.

“Television?” Twilight asked, her annoyance instantly replaced with curiosity.

“It enabled you to watch moving picture shows on a small screen… somehow,” I murmured. “Like, seeing a play happening a thousand miles away or something.”

“Fascinating. Continue,” Twilight urged, the alicorn scrawling notes on her pad.

“Like I said, broad strokes. Nightmare Moon is defeated. Twilight learns the value of friendship while going on bite-sized adventures with her friends. Every year or so they face off against some big bad attempting to destroy everything,” I concluded.

“What manner of threat?” Luna pressed.

“Discord, the changelings, and…” I paused, a frown coming to my face. “That's all I can remember. Though I am certain there were more.”

“It seems as though this fictional reality differs greatly from our own as changelings died out millennia ago during the great crossing,” Luna declared.

“Also I’ve never heard mention of this… Discord character before, have you?” Twilight stated, turning to Luna.

Who shook her head. “Neigh, we have not. He sounds like some manner of chaotic demon not unlike the dreaded Yeenoghu.”

“He was a trickster, I’m fairly certain. I can only remember that he had a great voice,” I stated.

“It is unfortunate that we cannot garner anything else of value from this other world, but that is to be expected when it comes to such interdimensional nonsense,” Luna stated.

“I am more intrigued by what this dungeon master of yours said,” Twilight offered. “The quote you mentioned about how the adventure would find you and that Yeenoghu was coming.”

I shrugged. “I haven't found any evidence of this, save for what Nightmare Moon said before she was defeated.”

Upon mentioning Nightmare Moon, Luna shrunk slightly, and Twilight's jaw tensed as if she were biting back a response. The moment passed quickly, the two alicorns schooling their expressions and putting on a mask of professionalism. Even still, I could tell that they both had secrets, secrets about either Nightmare Moon, or Yeenoghu’s return.

“He's not coming back, is he?” I pressed, paying close attention to Twilight.

“We cannot confirm that he is returning,” Twilight rather strategically said, voice quivering slightly as she skirted around the limits of the truth spell.

“We should stay on topic,” Luna offered.

“Right, of course,” Twilight murmured, the alicorn pausing to clear her throat. “You said you killed a manticore and a dragon. Tell us of those incidents.”

“The manticore was regretful but inevitable. He had grown old and like an aging lion, became violent as it sought to find a worthy end,” I explained. “As for the dragon… that's a bit more complicated.”

“Go on,” Twilight urged.

I slowly exhaled through one side of my mouth. “What's there to say? They were twisted, poisoned, and had gone mad, likely from pain. Containing only the cunning of a predator, they hunted my own, until I hunted them down in turn.”

“Do you regret it?” Luna inquired.

“I regret the necessity of my actions,” I replied after a short pause. “I wish there was some way to help them or detain them but that simply wasn't feasible I’m afraid.”

Twilight and Luna exchanged a look, with Twilight hastily scrawling a long note on her pad of paper. Which she kept shaded with a hoof, ensuring that I couldn't read it no matter how closely I watched her.

“How exactly did you manage to survive alone in the wilderness for so long?” Luna asked.

“I’m very strong, quite fast, and fairly intelligent,” I replied. “Not to pat myself on the back too much but I can handle most of what the Everfree could throw at me.”

“You didn't receive any assistance from outside forces or snuck into town in order to procure supplies illegally?” Twilight asked.

“No-well once but that was a whole thing,” I answered. “We needed medicine, and acquired it through less desirable means. However, we did leave behind payment.”

“So to confirm you did not receive help from denizens of Ponyville?” Twilight pressed.

“Not from the citizens of Ponyville, no,” I replied.

“Could you tell us more about how you survived?” Twilight inquired.

“I mean sure, but that's gonna take a good number of hours. Probably all day,” I stated, arms crossing over my chest.

“Perhaps it's best if we saved that for another time,” Luna interjected.

Twilight sighed. “I suppose that is for the best.”

“You keep using we when you mention how you survived. Why is that?” Luna asked.

“Because there is more than one of us out there,” I replied. “I have a whole tribe of rejects expelled from polite pony society.”

“Could you tell us more about them?” Twilight inquired.

“I could,” I answered.

“But will you?” Twilight pressed.

“No,” I exclaimed.

“Why is that?” Twilight asked.

“We’ve confirmed that some of you people are violent, xenophobic, and have a blood thirst worthy of Yeenoghu himself. So, sorry if I’m not exactly thrilled over offering up more targets for you to satiate your murderous impulses,” I retorted a bit harsher then I intended.

“Shining Armor is not… is not indicative of ponies as a whole,” Luna exclaimed.

“He is just stressed,” Twilight offered. “His boss has been leaning on him hard for over a year to find you and bring you in. It's even affected his personal life with him and Cadance nearly breaking up.”

“Breaking up, but not divorce. They have yet to marry?” I inquired, my mind going to thoughts of the princess of love. The moment my mind conjured an image of Cadance I felt uncomfortable feelings begin to stir in my heart. I quickly shook them off though, ignoring the entire thing as misplaced anger at Shining Douche.

“Regardless of why he is a dangerous psychopath who should at best be watched and worst locked up in order to ensure the safety of the general population,” I pressed, my anger getting the better of me.

“He is not a dangerous psycho-” Twilight's face twisted in a mix of anger and confusion. “Augh, no more talking about my brother he is not as bad as you make him out to be.”

“So he's just a mild killer, a two-out five on the murder scale. Totally acceptable in your society, apparently,” I needled.

“Enough,” Luna interrupted, glaring at me. “Though I understand your frustration, this is not the place to vent such anger. Furthermore, it is not in the least bit productive to our investigation.”

“Wouldn't it be exactly what you want to hear? You want to discern whether or not I am guilty of some crime, are you not?” I pressed.

“Oh, your guilty alright,” Twilight spat.

“Of defending myself against a psychopath intent on murdering an innocent for no other reason than to satisfy his racist desires?” I shot back.

“I said enough!” Luna shouted, the alicorn banging the table hard enough to nearly punch a hole straight through it.

I rolled my eyes and sat back in my chair, fingers drumming against my arm. Across from me, Twilight relaxed as well, the pony taking a moment to do some kind of deep breathing exercise.

“Now then,” Luna began again. “The actual purpose of this interview has yet to be determined, save for our own curiosity though I am certain that some manner of trial will occur.”

“Remember though, you swore to treat me as you would any pony prisoner,” I reminded, pointing to Twilight.

“What? I didn't say-” Twilight paused, face contorting as the spell stopped her from lying. “Gah, I didn't think about that.”

“You were gearing up for a bit of extrajudicial murder were ya? You and Shiny really are close,” I remarked, smirking at the purple alicorn.

“I was not!” Twilight shouted. “I wanted to figure this out. To get to the bottom of this whole thing and hopefully heal the divide that has cut my family in half!”

The young pony glared up at me with wide, puffy eyes, tears building on their edges.

I sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. That was out of line. I just finally get to complain about that psych-”

I stopped myself and took a breath.

“That person. Who has been trying to kill me and those of my tribe on numerous occasions over the last year,” I stated in a carefully controlled, and lower tone.

“I’m sure there is more to it than that, and in time we will gain the full context for… everything,” Twilight added, clearly holding back but still eager to meet me in the middle.

“Good. We will review more of your experiences here in Equestria at a later date. For now, I believe our time is nearly up,” Luna concluded, glancing at her fellow alicorn. “Twilight. If you have any final questions, now would be the time.”

Twilight hummed thoughtfully. “Well I still have many, but I will focus on the most pressing. Namely, what is your experience with the daughters of Eve?”

“Hoo boy, that's a long one,” I replied, wrapping my clawed hands around the back of my head. “I’ll give you the short version first. I saved them, they saved me, they taught me a bit of druidic magic, and now they live with the rest of our tribe.”

“Our tribe. Elaborate, please,” Twilight urged.

“They are a part of our tribe,” I answered with a shrug. “Not sure what I could elaborate on, to be honest.”

“How did you come in contact with them, did you coerce them in any way to-” Twilight stopped, her eyes going wide and tail tucking itself firmly between her legs. “Please excuse me.”

The alicorn then vanished in a flash of light, leaving a slightly confused Luna, and a slightly amused me behind.

“I think that's a good place to call it for today,” Luna remarked, using a bit of magic to deactivate the crystal as well as the lie detection spell. “Perhaps it is best we settle the matter of your quarters now.”

“Oh, my cell is complete?” I asked somewhat irritably.

“Not yet,” Luna replied. “So we will have you stay here for the moment. After I’ve had a chance to fortify this room. For now, you will go upstairs, and be watched by several of my best while I ready your temporary accommodations.”

“Could be worse I suppose,” I murmured under my breath.

I then sauntered my way up the stairs, taking my time in order to not outpace the short-legged alicorn too much. Luna for her part remained a slight distance behind me, her critical gaze never leaving my back, even after I flicked my tiny tail at her. That got an amused snort out of the embittered mare, though that was about the only reaction I was able to get.

In silence, I ascended the steps, opened the door, and stepped into the small hallway at the back of the library. Glancing over to the entrance, I was able to find that work had continued at a brisk pace during my absence. I couldn't see much from my current angle, but the flurry of activity was still easily visible from inside the library.

What was also visible from that position was the cadre of four armed and armored thestrals that stood waiting for me. All wearing identical everything it was hard to tell them apart, which seemed to be on point for the various rank and file guards of Equestria. Not sure why, as it gave them a sort of stormtrooper vibe that dehumanized them- deponized them?

Either way, it made it easy to imagine they are villains when they are stripped of all their uniqueness.

“Manacle squad will keep an eye on you while I get to work. If you have any requests then ask them,” Luna stated before turning around and walking back downstairs.

“Well hello to you all,” I began, stepping forward with a smile. “I am glad to see that it is not the less competent solar guard that is watching me. They wouldn't be able to find a thief it walked right up to them and stole what’s left of their sense of humor.”

When my joke got absolutely no chuckles, no giggles or even a slight exhale through their nostrils, I gave up. Walking over to the couch, I plunked down into it and got to planning, or at least I started doing so before a striking thought occurred to me.

“I’m thirsty,” I remarked aloud. “Would you mind acquiring some water, and some food? I’m an omnivore, so if I’ll eat whatever, but if you have some chips or sandwiches handy, that would be great.”

One of the bat ponies broke off from the group, walked over to the kitchen, and then returned a moment later. When I noticed they had nothing in their hooves, I raised an eyebrow.

“That seemed kind of spiteful don't you think?” I remarked.

They didn't say a word, further irritating me, and driving a nail into my less then secret plan to bring them over to my side. Ponies were largely trusting, and borderline naive, so convincing my jailors that I wasn't all bad seemed like a good idea. That required them to at least speak to me though, so things weren't exactly getting off to a great start.

I was about to lie down and begin the next phase of my plan by having a nap when another pony appeared. Though a thestral like the rest, he was not armed or armored, allowing me to catch a glimpse of his cutie mark. Which was of a bunch of vegetables caught mid-toss, launched into the air by what looked like a cast iron wok.

“H-here you are miss,” he murmured, extending his forehooves.

I looked down, away from his rather adorable, demure features to where he was holding a plateful of sandwiches. Sniffing the food, I was able to detect the distinct aroma of lettuce, tomato, and was that…

“Bacon?” I murmured.

“It's um actually tofu, but prepared in a special way,” he declared.

“Huh,” I muttered.

Grabbing one of the bready delicacies, I took a bite and immediately melted. It was exactly like bacon, only with more fibrous, though that didn't take away from the flavor too much. I chewed slowly, daintily, and once done with the first small triangle-shaped sandwich I sighed.

“That is… very good. Bravo, little one, you make a mean B.L.T,” I commended, giving the blushing boy a brief standing ovation.

“Oh um, thank you,” he whispered, turning around.

He made it a few steps before realizing he was walking away with the plate. He then hastily scampered back over to me, dropped the platter on the coffee table and all but sprinted back into the kitchen. I watched him go as he left, noting just how adorable, feminine, and yet still kinda tough he looked.

He had a few scars the kind of which are impossible to get outside of a battlefield. Yet he certainly didn't look like the warrior type, what with his shoulder-length mane, and overall bearing.

“He's an enigma that one,” I murmured. “Cute though.”

That got the smallest of giggles from one of the pony’s guarding me and a glare from another. I took note of both responses, but said nothing, merely flopping back down, and digging into my meal. I made sure to act extra dainty this time, having to remind my minders that I was not a simple beast.

Once that was done, I yawned, and lay back down on the couch, letting my legs fall over the end as it was way too small for me.

“You guys don't mind if I catch some z’s do ya?” I asked.

When that got a predictably non-existent response, I grabbed a doily from the end table and laid it over my eyes. I then did my best to actually go to sleep and was a bit surprised when I was startled awake what felt like a second later. A firm hoof jabbed at my side, stirring me out of the brief bit of sleep I had been able to have.

Peeking out from beneath the doily, I eyed the armored thestral with amusement. I couldn't tell much about them, but they did seem slightly embarrassed, the tiniest hint of a blush on their face.

“Luna is ready for you,” they declared, voice as androgynous as their appearance.

“Ahh, thanks,” I murmured halfheartedly.

Sitting upright, I let the rather frilly piece of fabric fall from my face as I stretched. Releasing a rather loud, large yawn, I smacked my mostly lipless maw and looked around. Only to find that nearly everyone appeared to be a bit embarrassed, to varying degrees.

“I was snoring, wasn't I?” I murmured.

Noone responded, at least with words anyway. One thestral, the same who stifled a giggle earlier, made that half-growling noise you make when you're holding back a laugh. That was all the confirmation I needed, and so with a frown on my face, I stood up.

I walked, with whatever dignity I had left, down to the basement, my jailors a respectable distance behind me. Opening the door, I looked down to where I expected to find Luna, but there was no one. I made a few steps down before the dark alicorn appeared, exiting a side room that I hadn't noticed before.

“My apologies. I just had to… take care of something,” Luna muttered.

I pretended to ignore the half-formed smile on her face and instead focused on the room itself. It was more or less the same, though now a magical cage was built around two rooms that both lacked doors. Peering into one, I found that it had likely been used as most rooms in someone’s basement were used for, storage.

The other was a rather spartan bathroom that you might expect to find in such a place. Squat toilet, a standing shower that had likely not been used for anything but holding boxes, and a sink that hadn't been cleaned in years. I ended my observation just as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

“You ponies aren't exactly big about the whole privacy thing, are you? I mean, you don't wear pants so I assumed as much but taking the door off the bathroom? Now you just look like voyeurs,” I remarked.

Luna snorted. “There is a curtain you can pull should you require it. Now in you go.”

“No need to hassle me, I’m going,” I muttered.

I took a step towards the cage and was about to ask how I got past the glowing deep blue bars when a section suddenly phased out of existance. Stepping through it, and making sure to duck, I walked into the bedroom that had been prepared for me. Spartan, like the bathroom, it was at least sized appropriately, save for the ceiling, but that was to be expected.

“So, when do we start session two?” I inquired.

Luna lit her horn and sealed up my cell once more. “Not long. Twilight and I merely have some business to attend to.”

“Cool, well. Have fun with that,” I exclaimed, giving Luna a wave as she walked away.

It was small, but I could tell that Luna was at least a little disarmed by how personable I was being. It wasn't exactly a stretch for me, given how jovial a person I usually am but I was laying on the charm a little thick. Some may consider this duplicitous, or two-faced but I liked to think that I was merely putting in a bit of effort to make a new friend.

Ponies were rather easy to befriend, after all, I knew that much from experience.

Author's Note

This is part of the 12 days of christmas, head over here to keep track of all the cool stuff coming down the pipes. If you want to ensure I can afford to keep doing stuff like this, consider backing me over on Subscribestar or Patreon.